Just how bad is the water?

[windeguy]

Bottom line: Don't use anything but bottled water on or for anything that will go into your mouth.

 

[Redscot]

Myself, wife and 3 sons have been showering and brushing our teeth with the water here in Santiago for 7 years with not a single incident. We also wash the lettuce for salad, no problems. We use bottled water for drinking.

 

[dv8]

bottled water: drinking, tea, coffee.
no water: veggies and such, i could not be bothered less to wash them.
tap water: everything else.

 

[suarezn]

The deal is you should use tap water for brushing your teeth, etc (not for drinking). You'll probably get a little bit sick the first week or so and then after that you're cured. Like HB said anytime you travel from one part of the world to another your stomach has to get used to the new environment. Don't be scared to try it out. Your body will get used to it. I'm a testament that people don't die that easily from drinking water from whatever...I grew up drinking from The Camu river (no filters).

 

[Jenny429]

We use bottle water to drink.. We cook, brush our teeth and shower with tap water..

 

[jrhartley]

i use bottle to brush teeth, I have got over my habit of not breathing in the shower

I make sure all utensils and pots are dry before use and wait for hands to dry before picking anything up to eat

all cooking is done with bottled water

and I am the picture of health (yeah right)

 

[Taino808]

As in many third world countries, the septic and water lines are often laid in the same trenches.

As of early 1990s the DR implemented construction laws, limiting septic pipes to 6' feet or two meters in depth; all the while, the water main to 3 feet or one meter in depth.

With a difference of more than one meter between the septic and water main, there really isn't any way the septic system could contaminate the water line should the septic pipe ever rupture. Now, I know that anything could happen in this crazy and wacky world we live in, however, being that septic pipes aren't pressurized, if ever there's a rupture, contaminated water will simply drain downwards leaving the water main (one meter higher) free of any contamination.

 

[belmont]

As of early 1990s the DR implemented construction laws, limiting septic pipes to 6' feet or two meters in depth; all the while, the water main to 3 feet or one meter in depth.

With a difference of more than one meter between the septic and water main, there really isn't any way the septic system could contaminate the water line should the septic pipe ever rupture. Now, I know that anything could happen in this crazy and wacky world we live in, however, being that septic pipes aren't pressurized, if ever there's a rupture, contaminated water will simply drain downwards leaving the water main (one meter higher) free of any contamination.

I guess you nver got your feet wet walking in the area of a leaking sewar line? When a sewar (septic) line backsup, due to intrusion of roots for example) the entire area becomes saturated. If a water line traversing the area looses pressure, the contaminated ground water will be drawn into the line by the negative pressure.

 

[Criss Colon]

Water,just like Dominicans,will always take the path of "Least Resistance"!
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[Taino808]

I guess you nver got your feet wet walking in the area of a leaking sewar line? When a sewar (septic) line backsup, due to intrusion of roots for example) the entire area becomes saturated. If a water line traversing the area looses pressure, the contaminated ground water will be drawn into the line by the negative pressure.

Absolutely Not, I speak from eight years of experience as an architec. If your above scenario should ever occur it's because the septic pipe was not at the regulated two meters of depth. The amount of earth (2 meters worth) will always prevent sewage water from rising to the top.

 

[belmont]

Absolutely Not, I speak from eight years of experience as an architec.

Please tell us which school which gave you your training. As far as I know, even in Spanish, the word contains a second "t". I'll believe a ditchdigger with no education and eight years experience before I'd believe an "architec" with eight years experience.

 

[Criss Colon]

I never saw anyone,archittec,builder,worker,or ANYONE, follow the "Plans" here in the DR!
And NEVER have I seen an "as built" with any resemblance to reality,if you even get an "as built"!
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[Taino808]

Please tell us which school which gave you your training. As far as I know, even in Spanish, the word contains a second "t". I'll believe a ditchdigger with no education and eight years experience before I'd believe an "architec" with eight years experience.

Belmont, you could believe what ever you wish, however, just because I misspelled something, does not mean what I'm saying isn't true, heck I misspell things constantly yet I continue to make a pretty good living.

Now I don't know what kind of materials were used to carry water in your country, I could only speak of the DR and here in Santiago they use (Coraasan) high strength PVC pipes. These pipes will not allow water to seep in, nor allow water to leak, this is unless there's a rupture somewhere.

For the above reason alone, even if someone improperly placed septic pipes at less than two meters allowed, sewage water couldn't ever penetrate the PVC water main no matter how much negative pressure there is.

 

[DominicanBilly]

Everyone I know buys water. Don't know of anyone with a shower filter. That said, I cook with tap water and will occasionally drink a handful of water out of the tap if I'm too lazy to get water from the bottle. Never had any adverse affects. I've sometimes wondered if there is some sort of mass hysteria when it comes to the water here. I live in Bavaro by the way.

I live in Puerto Plata and concur with this comment. I to buy bottled water for juices and drinking but shower with the city water and cook with it, make my coffee and brush my teeth with the city water. I've lived here for 20 years and have no adverse effects.

 

[Terence]

I have heard from engineers that it is unlikely that sewage water will mix with tap water supply lines. Bust sure it is possible.
I think the problem is where do the sewar lines go. There are alot of squatter houses on river water sheds in DR with improper cesspools that overflow. This gets into irrigation water which I suspect is the soure of the dysintary etc in children. So wash your food and cook it and use vinagar and lemon when eating salads and veggies. I also suggest a cap of bleach in water when washing lettuce and veggies even before cooking.

 

[belmont]

Another question. With all these jury rigged domestic plumbing setups. How many have vacuumn breakers (anti-siphon devices) installed. I have seen many times a water fill line leads to a storage tank. With no vacuumn breaker in the house, if water pressure were to drop, which way would potentially contaminated water flow? You could very easily be drinking your neighbors' pool or tinaco water. Especially if the tinaco is fitted with a float valve for filling.

 

[Rattus_Rattus]

Jesus- i have to wash my mouth with cloro after reading this thread........

 

[Taino808]

Another question. With all these jury rigged domestic plumbing setups. How many have vacuumn breakers (anti-siphon devices) installed. I have seen many times a water fill line leads to a storage tank. With no vacuumn breaker in the house, if water pressure were to drop, which way would potentially contaminated water flow? You could very easily be drinking your neighbors' pool or tinaco water. Especially if the tinaco is fitted with a float valve for filling.

I don't know if this question was directed at me or not, nevertheless, I could only assure you that even if a house/building doesn't have a "anti-siphone device" there is no way that septic water could ever mix with tap water. The simplest reason for this is because tap water pipes and sewage water pipes are of two different size, and could never connect to one another without some specific and pricey connecters.

Think for a minute tap water comes into a house by way of the water main on the street, then it spreads out like a spider web through out the house, to feed the "tinaco" then tap, sink, toilets, shower etc. etc. Where as, drainwater drains downwards and into the septic pipes. End result, no way the two meet, thus, no way on earth you could ever drink your neighbors pool water.

Hope this answers your question.

 

[belmont]

I don't know if this question was directed at me or not, nevertheless, I could only assure you that even if a house/building doesn't have a "anti-siphone device" there is no way that septic water could ever mix with tap water. The simplest reason for this is because tap water pipes and sewage water pipes are of two different size, and could never connect to one another without some specific and pricey connecters.

Think for a minute tap water comes into a house by way of the water main on the street, then it spreads out like a spider web through out the house, to feed the "tinaco" then tap, sink, toilets, shower etc. etc. Where as, drainwater drains downwards and into the septic pipes. End result, no way the two meet, thus, no way on earth you could ever drink your neighbors pool water.

Hope this answers your question.

As you failed to see, I stared the post with the words "Another question". Not only can't you spell, your reading comprehension is also questionable.

This thread isn't about mixxing of sewage with drinking water....it is about quality of drinking water. What you didn't answer is how is a person is sure that the water in his drinking water line is not being pulled from his neighbor's house or even a house or business blocks away, if there is no vacuumn breaker in the other persons' lines?????????

BTW Although in this scenario it would be accidental contamination, one of the major threats which worries Homeland Security in the US is the introduction of a pathogen into a municipal water system by way of bypassing an antisiphon device.

 

[IslandDreaming]

In doing some research for our upcoming move (me, wife and 5 kids), we've seen that the water problem is terrible in the DR - specifically around:

1. drinking water
2. shower water

What kinds of precautions are people taking in regards to drinking water? For example, from having lived in Africa in the past, we have a Berkey water filter which was fairly good. Anything more robust required?

Do people install filters on the shower and taps for basic everyday use? Is this practical and even possible?

My own personal experience with the drinking water is that it is so bad I have considered bottling it and exporting as a competitor to Ex-Lax